Welcome

This is the official website for writer, lawyer and bathroom graffiti enthusiast Chris Opfer. Take a look around, check out my published work and drop a (complimentary or humorously offensive)
line in the guestbook.

Work

Title Bout

How Eugene "Thunder" Hughes and his boxing gym have outlasted decades of change in D.C.'s 14th Street Corridor. My cover story for The Washington City Paper.

Cheech, Chong, Boehner?

With Washington D.C. on the cusp of legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in the nation's capital, I looked into the various way that federal lawmakers in Congress might try to harsh the
mellow in this story for the Atlantic's CityLab.

Pizza Pizza

Everyone knows New York City has the best pizza and bagels in the universe, but no one seems to really unerstand why. Is it something in the water? I investigated for Narratively.

Police in Schools

Another academic year, another fresh round of questions about the role of cops in schools. My story for The Atlantic's CityLab.

Forever 21?

Some Vegas casinos are trying to pull a fast one on gambling tourists. I recently reported for Pacific Standard on a small, but signifcant blackjack rules change that could soon sweep the Strip.

Vape 'em If Ya Got 'em.

In November, I looked at the ongoing debate about how to regulate the burgeoning e-cigarette industry in this story for The Atlantic.

The Prisoner Suicide Puzzle

Jailers in D.C. and across the country are grappling with a rash of inmate suicides. In my piece for The Atlantic, I look at how officials and experts
say the focus must turn to identifying and treating the underlying mental illnesses that may lead a prisoner to take his own life.

In D.C., Medical Marijuana Is All About Location, Location, Location

It's been a long, strange trip, but medical cannabis is now available in the nation's capital. Much has been made of where legal weed will be sold, but some residents and local leaders are more
concerned about where it will be grown, as I write for The
Atlantic.